How to write a fighting scene

Writing realistic fight scenes can feel like being in one.

So why is something so simple to read so complex to write? Their fights come across as too choreographed, too over-the-top, or too silly, and none of the punches have any real weight to them. When anything gets confusing, the story loses them.

He banged his forehead into my nose, pushed me off and rose to his weary feet.

Some are one-on-one duels, some are sprawling war-zone battles, and others pit a few key characters against a horde of grunts. Make your fights into a conversation spoken with actions in which the real conflict is happening in the hearts of the characters and in which the reader themselves are helping to tell the story.

Is it to reveal character? The character should also have been affected by the pain, which will make them even more tired and even discourage them. In agonizing pain, I rammed my elbow backwards, feeling it connect to something boney.

Do the innocent bystanders just sit there or do they scramble to help? Longer sentences with more description establish a slower pace.

Use sensory information to make a fight scene relatable. Sign Up Today Sign up to receive K. It can also be a great opportunity for horror.

I can sense the emergence of danger before I see it. Some writers draw maps, and use toy soldiers to move their characters around during each phase of the battle to keep track of where everyone is.

Short, simple sentences keep the reader on their toes. Each sentence is short, the written equivalent of a sudden move. At the end, I go back and make sure they are all covered. I block out what happens, put Post-It notes all over my wall, and fill in a notebook I keep on each storyline.

Consider distance as well. Fight in Your Genre Not all fight scenes are created equal. Maybe she fights to distract herself from a painful memory… or to prove her courage—to somebody else or herself… or simply to feel something other than an overwhelming numbness.

Does she enjoy the rush of adrenaline, or just inflicting pain—or receiving it? Every time a new person takes an action in this passage, Goldman starts a new line, making the reader encounter each attack as a sudden, vital event.

You can also write to match the perspective of the attacker: Do they use objects? This article was originally published on October 10, Effortlessly, he hurled me to the floor with a tremendous THUMP, causing a huge concussion to form on my skull.

The hero makes a last hurrah.Unfortunately, bad writing sticks out in a fight scene more than anywhere else. The appearance of words like ‘suddenly’, or ‘tremendous’ or ‘savage’ is an indication something has gone wrong and you need to look more closely at the language. Writing a fight scene shouldn’t just be a play-by-play account of each punch and kick.

Remember that most people won’t come to blows without significant emotional impetus—fights are hot-blooded, passionate affairs, and your writing should reflect that. Writing fight scenes. How much should one describe a fight scene in a screenplay? How specific should you get? What do you leave for the director/choreographer to.

Fight scenes are the single hardest character interaction to write. Many authors who know their craft in every other respect can’t write a fight scene to save their (or their hero’s) life.

Happily, there are a few devices you can use to ensure you write the kind of fight scene that grips a reader from start to finish. Jun 17, · PREORDER THE SAVIOR’S CHAMPION: Amazon: mi-centre.com Amazon UK – mi-centre.com Amazon CA – mi-centre.com Nook: mi-centre.comandnob.

Here are the finishing touches. Wrap up your scene. If you want to make the fight scene longer, you can, but consider breaking it up into two parts to give your readers and .